Croatia Government Faces No Confidence Vote

The Croatian government led by Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor faces a no-confidence vote over the country's "deteriorating" economic situation.

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Zagreb

The no-confidence motion was filed by a total of 58 deputies from the main opposition party the Social Democrats, SDP, the Croatian People's Party, the Istrian Democratic Party, the Croatian Pensioners Party, the Croatian Party of Rights and the Labour Party.

They hold Kosor responsible for the deteriorating economic situation in the country, for a failure to implement reforms and for poor public credibility, stressing that this has been caused by numerous financial scandals and internal conflicts within the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ.

"Kosor's government is a disgrace for Croatia. We are going through economic, moral and political agony and we do not want to bear responsibility for that," said Zoran Milanovic, the leader of the strongest opposition party, the Social Democrats.

The government holds a narrow majority in parliament but is likely to survive the vote, which is expected on Thursday.

Kosor came to power in July 2009 after the sudden resignation of former prime minister and HDZ leader Ivo Sanader. After becoming PM and leader of the ruling HDZ she launched a wide anti-corruption campaign. A dozen former top officials have been investigated, while former deputy prime minister Polancec was recently sentenced to 15 months in jail for abuse of position.

Last week Sanader unexpectedly asked for his seat in parliament to be reactivated, triggering speculations about what his return could mean for the HDZ. Sanader was kicked out of the party in January following a failed coup.

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